Urban Search and Rescue (Urban SAR), the Mountain Rescue Association, and the Coast Guard are only a few of the many SAR fields.

Urban SAR was founded, and is conducted, by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). This system uses a number of teams for different functions, such as medicine, safety, etc. One of these uses canines (K-9). These latter can have a basic certificate, in which the handler gives commands to the dog, and the dog obeys. There is also an advanced certificate in which the dog can work on complex activities without the handler.

There is also a Rescue team, who does as the name suggests. The Hazmet (hazards) team looks over every situation and observes and eliminates any hazards to the people and SAR members. They can collapse threatening buildings, or other threatening objects, natural of artificial.

Medical teams are always on hand for delivering First Aid, and the Logistics team works side by side with them. And last but not least, there is the Plans team, the structural engineers.

Urban SAR is on hand 24-7 due to the shifting of two parties every twelve hours. The teams can also be at any disaster site within twenty-four hours.

SAR members can rescue trapped victims from fire, collapsed building, collapsed mines, trenches, etc. SAR members also work in very hazardous situations, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, storms, tornadoes, technical failures, technological accidents, terrorist activities and hazardous material releases. These compose only a few of the extremely dangerous situations in which they place themselves for the sake of others.

Mountain Rescue Association was established in 1959, making it the oldest SAR group in the USA. They help avalanche victims; they educate people about the ways of the mountains, avalanches, rock-slides, etc. They help climbers and hikers, and they help people develop plans and safety procedures.

The Coast Guard is responsible for all maritime SAR activities. They typically use helicopters, but sometimes boats are needed. They go to the aid of divers and ships, and they can retrieve objects that are accidentally dropped into the ocean. They are the SAR unit to call to for help on the ocean.

These SAR teams help save human lives at the expense of their own. They are highly trained and skilled workers, and many times our lives are in their hands. Remember Search and Rescue!